Pontoon boats are known in the art. A pontoon boat typically includes first and second pontoons, a plurality of cross members fixedly connecting the pontoons together, and a floor or deck disposed atop the cross members. The deck may support a captain's station, seating for passengers, and a railing about the perimeter of the deck.
A pontoon boat typically is generally rectangular, having a length and a width. The length may be selected as desired. The width, however, may be practically limited, for example, by transportation and storage considerations. More specifically, federal highway regulations generally limit the width of a trailer towed on public highways to 102″ and require special permits for towing trailers wider than that. These regulations effectively limit the width of a pontoon boat to 102″. Also, available space at a dock, on a boat lift, or at a dry storage facility may practically limit the width of a pontoon boat.
The present disclosure is directed to a pontoon boat having a variable width, and to operating mechanisms for varying the width of the boat.